As first-round busts go, if Jason Bonsignore, taken fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers at 1994 NHL Entry Draft, doesn't rate as the worst case of a swing and a miss by the franchise, he's close.

Taken from the Niagara Falls Thunder two picks before the Oilers called Ryan Smyth's name with the sixth overall selection, Bonsignore would play just 20 games with the Oilers and 79 in the NHL.

A lanky centre with unquestionable skills but a dubious work ethic, Bonsignore added cups of coffee with the Tampa Bay Lightning and with the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL farm team before retiring after the 2007-08 season, a campaign he spent with the Trenton Devils of the ECHL.

Promise unfulfilled is the chapter and verse story of Bonsignore, who is 35 years old now, retired from hockey and operating an amusement park in the Eastern U.S.

Gene Principe of Rogers Sportsnet, who'd not net arrived on the hockey scene in Edmonton when Bonsignore was here, and yours truly, who had at the Edmonton Journal, got a hold of the former Oiler when we hosted the Jason Gregor Show on TEAM 1260 Wednesday.

While the death of Wade Belak was the news of the day, Bonsignore delivered a memorable rant when we asked him about his time with the Oilers, a period in his life that clearly still cuts close to the bone some 17 years after Edmonton drafted him.

IN BONSIGNORE'S WORDS

The following are excerpts of the interview we did with Bonsignore. For the full interview, including the questions asked and full answers, please follow this link: www.theteam1260.com/Episodes.aspx and click on the third hour of the Jason Gregor Show podcast.

NOT A BUST?

"Ya, you know, part of the reason I agreed to come on today is because Gene had spoken with me last year and he seemed to sincerely appreciate my story and had some interest in it. A lot of people say 'Jason was a bust.'

"My version of a bust is someone who maybe didn’t deserve to be in the situation they were in. I kind of feel like up until the point where I played for Edmonton I kind of deserved to be where I was and was in the right situation there as far as where I was drafted and everything.

"I was proud of that. It just never got off on the right foot with Edmonton, and that’s not to say that I wasn’t excited about going there or the opportunity or the history it’s just for whatever reason it didn’t work."

BEHIND THE SCENES

"There were a lot of things behind the scenes that a lot of people didn’t know about that happened and I just never really felt like I belonged there, like I was really wanted there. There were a few great people that really stretched out their necks for me and made me feel welcome and tried to help me.

"Teddy Green was one of them and Kevin Prendergast, but it just seemed like there were only a few people that were really there to help me and whether the approach from other people was meant in the wrong fashion it just was a harsh and kind of negative way of handling things.

"And I guess to touch on what you were just talking about, when you’re 18 or 19 years old, you don’t notice at the time, but now, I notice how young and impressionable you are.

"You look at some of the other people that were drafted in certain situations around the time I was and they struggled their first few seasons -- Jeff O’Neill and Radek Bonk, some of the guys that were drafted in my draft year. But their teams stuck with them and nurtured them along and never really got down on them. They basically just helped them to progress and learn and mature. I guess I just never went through that process and never got to the opportunity where I got that point."

REGRETS

"I certainly regret it. I had nothing against the fans in Edmonton. They’re great hockey people. It’s a great hockey city and it was kind of a bummer later on to see, like Ethan Moreau ended up there for a lot of years. Him and I were real good friends and had kind of a magical connection when we played junior hockey as line-mates.

"I would have loved to have had the opportunity to have played with him in the pros. Marty Reasoner was there who was a good friend of mine. I wish things had been different but there was a lot of stuff that happened behind the scenes and there was a lot that was going on in my personal life that was pretty difficult to deal with at that time and just for whatever reason, it didn’t work out.“

BREAKDOWN

"I don’t mind talking about this stuff now but it’s been a sensitive issue for a lot of years. I mean Glen (Sather) just never seemed to, I mean one of the first things he ever said, I mean he never even said hello, was, 'I’m not going to give you a million dollars.' It was like, nice to meet you, too.

"Ryan Smyth is a great guy, awesome player and he’s had a fabulous career, but right there around draft time, I mean his family were good friends with Glen and his mom and dad were hugging Glen and were close to him at the draft and it never really felt like he wanted me there.

"He (Sather) called me to the office one time and told me I was fat and overweight and that I was going to get fined if I didn’t lose 10 pounds in three days. And it wasn’t going to be $50 or $500, it was going to be $100,000 or $200,000 and I was going to have to move in with him. It was an abrasive way of handling things and some people kind of, later on, talking to me about it said that it was kind of like mental abuse.

"I don’t know, I’m not saying that he abused me. I’m just saying, it’s like later in life you wonder why did I have to get treated like that. I was a young kid just trying to fit in."

MEA CULPA

"I didn’t have the greatest work ethic the first couple of years there. I didn’t understand what it took to play at that level. I mean when you’re a junior hockey star and you’re playing 35 minutes a game you don’t have to worry about conditioning and it comes naturally when you have the puck half of the game.

"When you’re scoring a bunch of points and you’re on the power play and you’re in control of things you don’t end up playing a lot of defensive hockey and your defensive skill aren’t what they need to be to get to the pro level.

"There were a lot of things that I needed to learn and it just, for a stretch there, they had me going to the rink at 5:30 in the morning, alone for an hour, an hour-and-a-half with the strength and conditioning coach, just getting skated into the ground. And they’d put 300 pucks out in front of the net and I would shoot 300 pucks, then go into the corner and hit the heavy bag after every shot and then get wind sprinted for 45 minutes straight as a 19 year old kid by yourself."

NO FUN

"When it gets to the point where it wasn’t fun for me whatsoever, it’s hard to be successful at it; regardless of how much money you’re making. For me it was never really about the money it was about, I mean sure it was great and I had a fancy car at one point, but it was about doing something you love and wanting to be good at it. All of my confidence went completely out the window.

SHOWDOWN WITH SLATS

"There was one time in Hamilton I was the 2nd leading scorer on the team as a 21 year old and we made it a little bit of a ways in the playoffs and Glen came down to catch a game and I had been scratched for that game, or for a couple of games at that point.

"One of the scouts had told my agent how well I had played the last time I was in the line-up during the playoffs up to that point. Then Glen corners me in the press box and says 'Do you know why you’re not playing tonight?' And I had to say 'Mr. Sather, no I don’t. I really don’t understand what’s going on. You’re scouts said that I played well the last time, I was the second leading scorer on the team this year.'

"Well he said, 'You’re not good enough to play right now. You’re not good enough to play at this level.' And I said 'Well I feel like I am.' I had 21 goals as a rookie, and he says, 'You’re just not good enough.'

"At this point, this is after years of just knowing that it wasn’t going to work out. Three or four years of camp and I went to camp that year in the best shape of my life. I remember Kelly Buchberger telling Dougie Weight, because Dougie came late that year and I was living with Dougie, how well I was doing at camp and how good of shape I was in.

"They played me one exhibition game, and I had a really nice assist in that game, I thought that I played pretty decent. I got sent to the minors the next day. So I kind of knew the writing was on the wall no matter what happened at that point, that it just wasn’t going to work out. So then I got back to the minors there and it’s just kind of the same stuff again."

TRADE ME

"At this point in the press box I just said, 'Well Glen why don’t you just trade me?' And he says, 'Nobody wants you, nobody wants you.' And at this point my agent told me that three or four teams had made some really attractive offers for me at this point with some big name players involved which I was quite honoured to hear and Glen tried to tell me I was lying.

"I just knew it was going nowhere. He just sort of pushed me and said 'Have a nice career.' I was obviously pretty angry and I thought that if I tried to get back at him, or to try have a push and shove contest, or take a swing at him, that this is definitely the end of my career. And, I walked away. Then, two days later, my agent called me and said that Glen wants to have a meeting with me and apologize and I appreciated it, but they wanted me to come to camp the next fall? I mean how am I supposed to come back to camp after all of this and feel like I’m going to get a fair chance again or like its water under the bridge.

"I’m really sorry, I feel like I let everyone in Edmonton down and people think that I just didn’t care or didn’t want to play, and it’s not the case and it bothers me. I tried to block it out, but it’s something that lingers forever. I wish that I could go back in time and go back and play for them again and erase everyone’s doubts and make everyone happy. I know I’m never going to get that chance again."

FOR THE RECORD

I contacted John Rosasco, VP of public relations with the New York Rangers, told him about the interview with Bonsignore, provided a link to the audio on the TEAM 1260 site and offered to have Glen Sather offer his version of events, if he so desired. Rosasco has informed me the Rangers won't be offering any comment.

Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TEAM 1260.

A sports writer since 1983, including stints at The Edmonton Journal and The Sun 1989-2007, I happily co-host the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260 twice a week and write when so inclined. Have the best damn lawn on the internet. Most important, I am Sam's dad. Follow me on Twitter at Robin_Brownlee. Or don't.

You really gotta feel for this guy, and I can relate. I mean hell, if my Jr. Coach wasn't such a meanie, I have no doubt in my mind that I'd be taking a run at some of Gretzky's records. Now, because of him, I'm stuck working in the real world. If he would have just played me 1st line minutes with all the gravy powerplay time, I surely would have been a 1st round pick, rather than the 2000th ranked prospect in my draft year. Feel sorry for me.

If you’re looking for the “other side of the story” about Jason Bonsignore, I’d suggest you run down to your local bookstore and pick up Gare Joyce’s “Future Greats and Heartbreaks.” It’s must-reading for hockey fans and draft geeks who are looking for an inside look at the NHL scouting world.

I think it was published around 2006 or 2007, so it’s fairly current. Anyway, there’s an entire chapter or most of one dedicated to just how bad the Oilers’ pick of Bonsignore (and, to be fair, the scouting world’s read of him) was.

There’s an anecdote in the book talking about how Bonsignore’s junior teammates in Niagara Falls (??) burned his Team USA jacket and sweatpants when he hung them on a hook after coming back from the WJC one year. And it sounded like he had it coming...

That said, Bonsignore may have been a lazy, petulant, spoiled man-child when he was 18, 19, or 20, but I don’t think he was a lost cause. And that’s where the Oilers utter lack of prospect development in the mid-1990s ultimately failed him. I don’t doubt for a millisecond that Glen Sather would have played the kind of mind games with Bonsignore that the latter claims because Slats played mind games with a lot of other young players – Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Andy Moog , to name but a few.

Of course, they all turned out pretty good but eventually Sather’s schtick was going to cost the organization, big-time, and I’d argue it probably did with Bonsignore. Underneath that spoiled kid was a very talented hockey player. His style of play was compared to Mario Lemieux and if you watched him you’d agree (no, I’m not saying he was going to be as good as Mario).

That’s why I didn’t really read the excerpts above so much as a “rant” by Bonsignore but more the unspun, non-agent-filtered side of things from a guy in his mid-30s who has finally developed some hindsight but still has a lot of bitter memories.

Anyway, kudos to Robin and Gene for scoring a great interview. Bonsignore was obviously in the mood for candor and self-reflection this week and you caught him at the right time.

And I’d love to hear Slats’ side of the story – although I’d be quite surprised if he’d bother to comment on the bleatings of a failed prospect drafted 17 years ago.

I didn't hear it Robin, but even if what he says is partially true you have to look at this as a huge problem with the Oilers organization in the past. Not only is it concerning on a level of how one human treats another, as a fan it really makes you wonder if the Oilers should return to "Oilers values" you often hear quoted by Oilers veterans and management staff in reference to our "winning" days under Glen Sather.

How about if you listen to the interview before wagging your jaw? Better yet, if it doesn't interest you, move along to an item that does.

Principe and I didn't go looking for this out of Bonsignore, he unloaded it without being prodded.

I doubt Glen will have any interest in re-visiting something that happened more than 15 years ago, but he knows how to reach me and it's not fair to run this stuff without giving him a chance to respond.

And we are dreging up Jason Bonsignore because...?
And Glen Sather will comment because.....?
When does traing camp start....? Not soon enough.
And Gene Principe is lame...sent his condolences to Wade Belak...

No kidding - when does traing camp start anyway? I can't wait to watch these guys start to traing.

And we are dreging up Jason Bonsignore because...?
And Glen Sather will comment because.....?
When does traing camp start....? Not soon enough.
And Gene Principe is lame...sent his condolences to Wade Belak...

we are dredging up Jason Bonsignore because it offers up a fascinating perspective on a very interesting segment of oiler history while also reflecting on the oilers current situation with young, developing prospects.

those who forget history are doomed to something something.

Glen Sather may or may not comment depending on how much he thinks these accusations might damage his professional reputation.

John is so smooth you'd swear he was born with a microphone in front of him.

His easy-going approach doesn't wash with some people who believe you have to yell to get your point across, but I like his style. He tells great stories and he listens. Let the people at TEAM 1260, including Jason, know what you think. I'd love to hear John on the air more often.

You and Gene yesterday were good and the interview was great yesterday. Bonsignor's comments show how much things have changed from the old school to the new school over the past decade. I don't doubt that Sather was tough on him and it obviously didn't work as Bonsignor was most definately a bust. In the end, the past is the past and hopefully management has both the carrot and the stick in their tool box and know when and how to use both.

Next, having John Short host today was fantastic.

John may have stepped away from the microphone a few years ago, but when I heard he was hosting today, I wanted to hear if he still had it. He did and it was great.

Oh, what could have been! I still think about those late 90's teams, losing to Dallas year after year because we could not match their secondary scoring. If Jason could have been a player for us, that would have shifted the balance significantly.

Jason had a poor work ethic. He was ranked #1 earlier in his draft year but began sliding when questions about him arose. It sounds like Glen thought he needed to give Jason some tough love. And at the end of the day, there were no winners in this debacle.

In Jason's defence, I think teams are much more adept at coping with the different personalities that you bring into the lockerroom. there is still a franchise first mentality, but I don't think they are as unforgiving as they were in the past. Still, Jason has to admit that he played a large part in his failure to get to the next level.

Anyone who remembers seeing this guy play knows how useless he was. He played a one-way style of game and didn't produce points. Is Sather to blame for trying to motivate him? I dont think so. He was lazy and is looking for someone to blame.

While some of it is no doubt on Bonsignore, it is startling that only 4 players turned out in 20 first round selections from 1984-2000. One cannot discount that fact. Some of it is on the Oilers. A lot of it actually.

Arnott, Smyth, Rucinsky, and Devereaux.

Arnott was run outta town, not properly handled by management.

Smyth grew up near Slatz and had a different relationship with the team as a result. Why did it work for Smyth? Different relationship have anything to do with it? I'd say so.

Rucinsky was trade a year after being drafted and developed by the Nordiques.

Devereaux was a 3rd/4th liner plug.

That's a horrible record, period. Along with others chased out like Satan, the Polish Prince, etc.

The Koolaide chugging gang of all things Oilers have a hard time offering critisism when diserved. Bonsignore is not all wrong there. Players worked hard to get drafted as high as they did, and most players who got drafted in the first round to the Edmonton Oilers did not pan out.

And that's on the Oilers and their management. No question.

It looks like things are getting better in that department. The old "break 'em down and build them again" way seems to be gone.

The kid was 18 and on his own, nobody in his corner by the sounds of things. When hockey becomes no fun, it's over. Confidence shot.

The bigger question for me is how is the Bonsignore draft not the final nail in the coffin for Barry Fraser's time with the Oilers.

That's an excellent point, Rick.

As I noted earlier, the Gare Joyce book (Future Greats and Heartbreaks) does allude to the fact that so many scouts seemed to miss the boat on Bonsignore's shortcomings during his draft year. I don't remember the specific implications but I believe the jist of it was that if the scouts had done a little more digging (i.e. talking to people who played with/coached Bonsignore), they would have found several obvious red flags and probably steered clear.

And yes, obviously it would have been hard to do very much digging in Mexico.

I can remember the Hockey News Draft Preview for that year, which is published in April, saying that the Oilers were "enamored" of Bonsignore (in fact, it said that right in Bonsignore's profile). Joyce's book noted that as well - the Oilers were bound-and-determined to pick Bonsignore when it became clear they were going to have a top-five pick.

So that tells me that either the OHL scout was not doing his homework or Fraser wasn't as close to the process as he needed to be.

I think Bonsignore was a spoiled little jerk who made his own bed, but let's not let the Oilers prospect development system off the hook.

Tom Barrasso was a jerk when he was a young player (and later on, too). So was Marc Savard. And others, no doubt.

For some reason, the Oilers couldn't make it work with Bonsignore. And I'm just not convinced that it was 100 per cent his fault.

There are two sides to every story. I was a little surprised that Principe and Herbalife Brownee didn't go on longer with this compelling interview with Bongsignore even with Grant Fuhr to follow. Someone should investigate this a little more ie. interview some of his Oiler teammates at the time to corroborate either side.

I have a kid who's 19 so can relate to who Bonsignore WAS, and he should have been handled better. They're CHILDREN just in grown-up bodies (most of them). This is why I think RNH, like the VAST majority of players who aren't 'can't miss studs', should be back in junior this year.

For Bonsignore, I actually think calling out Sather for being lousy at his job, to me, means that Bonsignore was actually ahead of his time. Sather had about 3 good years, and was bald-@ss lucky for most of them.

At the same time, for Bonsignore at 35 or whatever to still be 'poor me' is beyond lame.

Didn't Grant Fuhr and Paul Coffey both have openly hostile relationships with Sather? He was an unreasonable dick, which really does motivate some players.

I remember an interview with Guy Boucher right after he got hired by Tampa and someone asked him what his style for dealing with players was. Was he coddling? An old school hard ass? he said something to the effect of "I have 23 different styles. It doesn't make sense to treat everyone the same way, people are different. You figure out what gets the best out of each player and treat him like that."

Obviously Bonsignore failed primarily because of Bonsignore, but maybe he could have succeeded. Wouldn't the team have been better off with him succeeding?

HOLY S**T. Now is that a story that explains why the Oilers sucked during the Nineties or what!

You got to feel for the guy.

Hopefully the organization learnt from that mistake and won't mismanage other prospects.

I urge you and others who did not hear the interview in its entirety to listen to the podcast via the link provided for context.

Remember, this is Bonsignore's version of events during his time in Edmonton without rebuttal from the Oilers and should be taken as such. I have contacted the media relations people in New York and asked if Sather is interested in giving his version of events and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

That was an EPIC interview, Robin. Good stuff. As Gene said, you can't fully evaluate one side of an argument alone and come to a conclusion, and it's not fair to Slats to take what Bonsignore said as the Gospel truth. All that considered, that didn't sound like the spoiled, lazy rich kid that Spector was painting him as later on in your broadcast. It sounded, to me, anyway, like a (still) young man with a lot of bad memories, having a rather public therapy session. Now, again, I'm not saying I know his version is the way it happened. BUT... he sounded more hurt than bitter, and there's a HUGE difference.

Whether or not there's a gap between his perception and the reality of the situation, I know two things: I genuinely felt bad for the guy, and I really found Spector's attitude to be a bit dick-ish.

I must admit, I dug the chemistry between Robin and ol' Gino. This is what I've always said about Principe. When he isn't doing the clown act, he's a very good interviewer. Maybe the TEAM has something there.

Wow, that was really interesting.
I remember my first job, when I was only 20, and my boss being a jerk. It stays with you, you remember that, it hurts your confidence for a long time. You're still young and impressionable, and your confidence is fragile. You need to be nurtured, not told you're terrible.
Kind of feel for the guy now.
I bet whether a lot of prospects make it or not has more to do with the mental development than physical.

You're absolutely correct about Sather, as anybody who was around the team during his time here can attest.

You're also right about Bonsignore. While he did take some responsibility for how things unfolded here -- that's in the interview through the link -- his words would carry more weight if he'd gone on to better things elsewhere.

Wow, I'm not really sure what to make of that interview. At first, it seems like Bonsignore is your classic primadonna bust... a gifted player who doesn't hold himself accountable, but just blames everyone else for his own failings. But then by the end of the interview, he's very apologetic, even remorseful, and I can't help feeling bad for the guy.

Interesting part about him being scratched during the AHL playoffs though... if you look at that 1996-97 season, he had 0 points in 7 playoffs games, so perhaps his lack of production warranted the press box.

Sather certainly comes off as a jerk in this, and I'd be somewhat skeptical unless I heard other sides of the story. I always assumed GM's had a positive bias for their own draft picks, so maybe the abusive approach was Sather's way of trying to motivate JB? A lot of old-school coaches used to act that way, so you never know.

I remember the sense of frustration that started to become apparent, little bits of frustration that were relayed through the media about the kids entering into the NHL game at the time. Having never played a game and making several times the money the boss made when he was a player must've been a difficult pill to swallow for Slats.

This kid just came in at the worst possible time financially for him and the Oilers. Back then Sather had to work within what must've been a very challenging budget. It's unfortunate that Jason ended up with a team that quit on him. He should've taken Slats up on his offer to stay with him and show him how much he wanted to be a pro hockey player.

Have to wonder what things would've been like if Messier or Gretzky had treated Sather with the same contempt at some point. Of all people it was Glen Sather who used to say you have to treat each player different. What works with one player won't work with another. I guess those rules didn't apply to all of his players. No Wayne Gretzky = no HHOF for Glen Sather.

Coaches and managers can use the carrot or the stick to motivate players and knowing what to use with whom is the key to getting the most out of individual players.

Obviously, Sather's approach didn't work with Bonsignore, but it certainly worked with a lot of players who are now in the HHOF -- unless you believe the Oilers succeeded in spite of Sather, rather than because of him. Of course, Bonsignore arrived with the glory days fading and Sather up against it with a faltering owner and bad team. Not a happy time for anybody.

The knocks people close to the team offered about Bonsignore at the time involved desire and work ethic. It's a common theme. I'd ask what Spec asked: who is to blame for the lack of success in Tampa Bay and Toronto? Was his failure to stick in those places somebody else's fault as well?

"I didn’t have the greatest work ethic the first couple of years there. I didn’t understand what it took to play at that level." I always suspected that's what happened. Hard work is why Smyth has managed a long solid career with less talent. Great interview guys. I'd love to hear Slats perspective.

We've all read the Gretzky book right? That Sather could be a touch on the abrupt side was probably not shocking was it?

Great interview Robin, and thanks for posting it. Really goes to show how important the development side of the game is; we so often look back on drafts and ask, what were all those teams thinking passing on (fill in the blank), as though their future greatness was already pre-determined? Instead, we have to remember to credit the organizations who don't just draft but well but develop the Zetterbergs and Datsyuks in a way that's best for the player. Sure, Detroit has some great scouts, but any talent can be destroyed without the team realizing these are kids.

Robin's right of course, we haven't heard the Oiler or the Sather side of this, but regardless you have to feel bad for a young kid playing on the other side of the continent from his hometown and going through that kind of negativity. We should probably remember this story whenever we think Tom Renney doesn't give enough Quinn-esque post-game rants after a bad loss. They're still just kids.

Slat's approach,if Bonsignore's story is even remotely true, is too old school to work these days and perhaps, mentally, Jason was more like Linus Omark than Ryan Smyth. As a teacher, I know that each kid has different motivation buttons and if you know what works you can get good stuff from a student. Smyth may respond to the hard ass stuff. JB obviously not so much. But if all you have to offer is the tough stuff, you are lazy or stupid or both. Maybe he just didn't like the kid. Either way, Slats may have ruined him. I think it's a pretty brutal way to handle a teenager, let alone a good prospect, and it didn't do the franchise any good either to lose a pick like that. Yes, sometimes the young player (or student) has to take some of the blame, but he made the NHL somehow, so he had to have listened to a coach at some point. I've been around since the early days and I've always thought Sather was a bit of a bully. It would surprise me more if the story wasn't basically true. My $0.05

And we are dreging up Jason Bonsignore because...?
And Glen Sather will comment because.....?
When does traing camp start....? Not soon enough.
And Gene Principe is lame...sent his condolences to Wade Belak...

I heard the interview and thought it was AWESOME!!! I felt Sather tarnished his rep for allowing his head scout Barry Fraser to remain based in Mexico and picking mostly crap in the 90s. Any other organization, he would had been fired.

Sather also whined in the 90s that he didn't have the budget of big city teams like the Rangers to compete. He's been in the Big Apple for over a decade and the Rangers have never come close.

So yah, I tend to believe Bonsignore's side of events. I always thought Sather had too much of an "old boys" mentality, and Bonsignore's rant reinforces my view.